Valve and mounting and sealing means therefor



P. MESHBERG 3,187,962 VALVE AND MOUNTING SEALING MEANS THEREFOR June 8,1965 Filed Nov. 9, 1962 INVENTO Ph'h'p Mesfi dy \BY g E E5 ATTOR/VEYS atequal facility.

3,187,962" VALVE AND MOUNTING AND SEALING h EANS THEREFOR PhilipMeshberg, 15 Stoneieigh Road, Fairfield, Conn.

Filed Nov. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 236,492 6 Claims. (CL 222-394) Thisinvention relates to aerosol valves and to sealing means therefor.

It is an object'of the present invention to provide an aerosol valve tobe mounted on a container to dispense aerosol material therefrom, whichvalve is provided with means whereby the valve can be sealingly mountedon the container to prevent material in the container from leakingtherefrom. l 1

ltis another object of the invention to provide sealing means for thevalve which is not only maintained in an uncontaminated relation butwhich is disposed and protee-ted in such a manner that it cannot becontacted by the material in the container to be contaminatedthereby.

i A feature of the invention resides inthe confining of the sealingmaterial engaging the mouth of the container between a skirt on themounting ferrulerand a depending portion on the mounting flange of thevalve housing so thatthe sealing material cannot be shifted or squeezedout of position during thenclamping of the valve to the container.

Another feature resides in making the dependingf portion of the mountingflange on the housing of a diameter that it sealingly engages the innerwall ofthe mouth of the container and provides a further advantage inthat it prevents thecontents of the container from engaging and/ orbeing contaminated by the sealing material;

To further this latter advantage, the present: invention provides meanswhereby the sealing means for the valve j stem may bealso locatedoutside of the valve housing and container, and, if desired, a resilientmeans for urging is provided with a laterally projecting mounting flange19 adapted to extend over the mouth of the bottle and be clamped to .thebottle by a mounting ferrule 20 extending over at least a portion of theflange 19 having a dependingskirt 21 adaptedto extend over the edge ofthe mounting flange and into interlocked relation with the outer wail 14of the mouth. The housing has a portion 22,

preferably annular, depending therefrom to engage the inner edge of awasher or sealing member 23 disposed between the end wall 15 of themouth and the undersurface of the mounting flange so that the sealingmaterial is confined in this" location by the skirt 21 and the dependingportion 22 extending from the mounting flange. Thus, when the mountingferrule is in interlocked relation with the mouth and neck of the bottleto clamp the sealing material thereto, as shown in FIG. 1, it will beseen that the sealing material will be confined in the area above theend wall of the bottle and the sealing material cannot be squeezed outof this position as in the case where it is unconfined, thus eliminatingthe danger of leaking.

Preferably, the annular portion 22 on the housing has an extensionZfi'which is of such a length and diameter that it extends into themouth and sealingly engages with 'theinner wall 15 thereof as shown inFIG. 1. This provides an additional sealagainst leakage, protects thesealing means from engagement by the material in the container, and alsoprevents the sealing material from contaminating the material in thecontainer. This is particularly important where pharmaceuticals,perfumes or the like are used which may react with the usual sealingelements and become useless or of less value because of thecontamination. Also, it protects the sealing means from damage by thematerial in the container which may have. a deleterious effect on thesealing material.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the sealing diaphragm 25for closing the valve will still present a small amount of rubber or thelike sealing material to the stem to normal non-dispensing position canalso be mounted outside of the housing so that the material in thecontainer will not be contaminated thereby. This is particularly usefulwhere pharmaceuticals, perfumes or the like materials are disposed inthe container and affect, and are atfected by, the usual sealingmaterials for sealing the valve to the container.

The sealing feature of the present invention can be used with eithernon-metering or metering valves with Other features and advantages ofthe invention will be apparent from the specification and claims whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: i

the contents. If, however, it is desired to completely seal thecontents, the sealing means can be provided outside of the housing. Onesuch construction is shown in the application of the present inventionto a metered valve as shown in FIG. 2. Here the valve is mounted on aglass container 10a to extend over the mouth 12a thereof. The valve hasa plastic housing 13a provided with an inner end wall 26 having anaperture 27 therein and g is provided at its other end with a plasticclosure 28 having a portion forming a plug extending into the otherFIGURE 1 is a sectional view of anon-metered valve 7 mounted on the neckof acontainer.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of one form of metering valve mounted on thecontainer.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another form of metering valve mounted onthe container. 1 H

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3.

The invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being applied to anon-metering valve for a container 10, herein illustrated as a glassbottle for holding an aerosol material, which has a neck portion 11terminating in a mouth portion 12. The mouth portion has an inner wall13 and an outer wall 14 connected by an end wall 15. A valve means 16 isadapted to be lnounted on the neck of the bottle to overlie the mouththereof and has a sliding valve stem 17 for controlling the discharge ordispensing of the material from the container. In the illustrated formof the invention the valve means includes'a housing 18 preferably moldedfrom plastic material. The housing end of the housing to provide themeasuring chamber.

The housing has a mounting flange 19a extending over the end wall 14a ofthe mouth of the bottle, and a depending portion 24a engaging the innerwall of the mouth. The plastic closure member 2 3 has a flange 29extending outwardly and overlying the'mounting flange 19a. A mount ingferrule Zila is disposed over both of the flanges and has a dependingskirt 21a extending over the edges of the flanges and into clampingrelation with the neck of the bottle as shown inFIG. 2. This structureconfines the sealing material 23a and protects it in the same manner asnoted above in the description of FIG. 1, and also provides a seal atthe skirt to prevent any inadvertent leakage between the closure andhousing. The closure has 'a bore 30 through which the stem projects.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 2, a twopart stem 31, 32 isused in which a shoulder 33 is formed 'on theinnerstem 32 and the outerstem 31 is provided with an axial discharge passage 34 and a lateralpassage 35 normally disposed outside the closure.

A sealing ring 36 for the stem is disposed outside of the measuringchamber and is carried by an outer surface of the closure member andcannot be contacted by the material to be dispensed. Preferably, thevalve stem is urged to normal position of FIG. 2 by a spring 37 which isalso mounted outside ofthe measuring chamber. It is disposed within ahollow neck 3% formed on the closure member and is enclosed within anenclosing sleeve 3? carried by-the stem and acts to move the stem to itsnormally non-dispensing position in which the shoulder 33 on the sternbears against the closure and forms a seal therewith for the chamber forpreventing dispensing of the material therefrom.' As the stem is movedinwardly, the passage 35. leading to the discharge passage 34 of thestem will be moved past the seal and past the closure member into thehousing so as to dispense the material from the measuring chamber.During this movement, the inner end of the stem portion 32, which 'isdisposed in the aperture 2.7 in the wall in the bottom of the housing,will be moved to a point where a fiattened valve portion 400m the stemismoved downwardly and the cylindrical portion 41 of the stem completelyfills the aperture and seals the housing from the material in thecontainer. The two portions of the stem and the elements carried therebycan be readily assembled with the closure member and then mounted on thehous- In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the metering valveis substantially the same as that of'FIG. 2 with the exception that thestem 42 having the shoulder 43 is molded as one piece. It is passedthrough the bore in the closure and the sealing washer and spring 37 areassembled thereon and the enclosure sleeve 39,

which is formed as a separate member, is assembled to the stem andsecurely fastened thereto to enclose the spring andcooperate withtheneck 38 to prevent'contamination of the stem. 7

Also, in this form of the invention the inlet valve for the housing isformed by the end wall 46 of the housing adjacent the aperture 47therein being cut away to form ribs 48 which provide inlet ports whenthe stem is in its normal non-dispensing position, as shown in FIG. 3,and

which also provide guide means for the cylindrical inner end 42a of thestem so that as the stem is moved inwardly to dispense the material inthe housing, the cylindrical end of the stern will pass into the sleevebeyond the ribs and seal 01f the housing from the container. This formof valve is particularly useful where powdered aerosols are beingdispensed since it prevents clogging and provides a large number ofports for movement of the material into the measuring chamber.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be usedwithout others.

I claim:

ll. An aerosol valve adapted to be secured to a container to extend overa mouth thereof to dispense material therefrom with said mouth having aninner and outer portion connected by an end portion comprising a plasticvalve housing receiving material from the container, a plastic closuretherefor including a plug portion closing the end of the housing andhaving a bore therein and a flange, aplastic valve stem having a portionprojecting from the housing and slidable in the bore for controllingdischarge of material from said housing, said valve stem having anannular abutment engaging the closure to seal the. housing when the stemis in a normal non-dispensing position, a ring of sealing materialsurounding the valve stem and disposed outside said closure, meansurging said valve stem to said normal non-dispensing position, saidhousing having a projectinglateral mounting flange to'underlie theflange on the plug and adapted to extend over the end portion and havingan annular portion depending therefrom, said annular portion beingadapted to sealingly engage the inner portion of said tion of the mouth,and a sealing material cbnfined between the annular portion and skirtand adapted to be clamped between the end wall and mounting flange forsealing the container, said sealing materials being maintained out ofcontact with the material in the container whereby contaminationthereofis avoided.

2. An aerosol valveadapted to be secured to a container over a mouththereof to dispense material therefrom with said mouth having an innerand outer portion connected by an end portion comprising a plastic valvehousing having a projecting lateral mounting flange adapted to extendoverthe end portion and having an annular portion depending therefrom,said annular portion being adapted to sealingly engage the inner portionof said mouth, a plastic closure for the housing comprising a plughaving a boretherein and a flange overlying the mounting flange, aplastic Valve stem having a portion projecting from the housing andslidable in the bore and having an annular abutment engaging the closurefor controlling discharge of material "from said housing, a seal for thevalve stem disposed on the outside said closure and out of contact withsaid material for preventing leakage along the stem passing through saidbore, a spring disposed outside said closure for urging said valve stemto a normal non-dispensing position, a mounting ferrule for securing thevalve housing to the container, said ferrule extending over thesuperposed flanges having a depending skirt adapted to extend over theedge of said flanges and. into engagement with the outer portion-of themouth, and a sealing material confined betweenthe annular portion andskirt and adapted to be clamped between the end wall and mounting flangefor sealing the container.

3. Valve-means for controlling the discharge of a measured amount offluid under pressure from a container comprising a tubular plastic valvehousing having a transverse Wall at the inner end provided with anaperture and having a plastic closure comprising a plug having a boremounted in the other end, said plug having an outwardly extending hollowneck located outside ofthe valve housing, means mounting the housing onthe container, a valve stem mounted in said housing and having an upperportionextending through said bore in the closure and projecting beyondthe container, said stem having a longitudinal passage in the projectingportion communicating with a lateral passage normally disposed outsideof the housing and a sealing portion within the housing cooperating withthe closure to seal the housing, and means disposed exteriorly of thehousing and in the hollow neck and urging the sealing portion of thestem into sealing relation with the closure, movement of said stemagainst the urging means a predetermined distance from normal having alower portion sliding in and cooperating with the aperture in theplastic wall to guide the inner end of said stem and permit flow ofmaterial from the container into the housing and becoming operative byinward movement of said valve stem to'close the aperture and seal thehousing from the container prior to the movement of the lateral passageinto communication with the housing, thereby dispensing only the fluidin the valve housing.

4. Valve means for controlling the discharge of a measured amount offluid under pressure from a container comprising a tubular plastic valvehousing having a transverse wall at the inner end provided with acentral aperture and having a closure including a plug having a bore atthe outer end, means mounting the housing on the container, a valve stemmounted in said housing and having a portion extending through said borein the closure and projecting beyond the container and a portionslidable in and a sealing portion cooperating with the closure to sealthe housing, and means urging the stem to a normal position in which thesealing portion of the stem is in sealing relation with the closure,movement of said stem against the urging means a predetermined distancefrom normal sealing position causing said sealing portion 'to be movedout of sealing relation and said lateral passage to be moved intocommunication with the housing, said wall having inwardly facing spacedribs around the aperture to surround and guide the stem and form inletports for the housing when the stem is in normal position and said stemhaving a portion thereon cooperating with the aper tured wall to closesaid ports upon inward movement of said valve stem and seal the housingfrom the container prior to the movement of the lateral passage intocommunication with the housing, thereby dispensing only the fiuid in thevalve housing.

5. An aerosol valve adapted to be secured to a container to extend overa mouth thereof to dispense aerosol material therefrom, said valvehaving a measuring chamber therein comprising a plastic valve housinghaving an apertured inner wall, a plastic valve stem mounted on thehousing and controlling discharge of material from said chamber inmeasured amounts and having a portion slidably mounted in said aperturein said inner wall, and means for urging said valve stem to a normalnon-dispensing position, said stem and apertured wall having cooperatingrib means including a plurality of spaced ribs engaging and guiding saidstem in nondispensing position and providing inlet ports for passage ofthe material from the container to said housing, said stem when moved todispensing position having a portion closing said aperture and saidinlet ports.

6. Valve means for controlling the discharge of a measured amount offluid under pressure from a container comprising a tubular plastic valvehousing having a transverse wall at the inner end provided with anaperture and having a plastic closure comprising a plug having a boremounted in the other end, said plug having an outwardly extending hollowneck located outside of the valve housing, means mounting the housing onthe container, a valve stem mounted in said housing and having an upperportion extending through said bore in the closure and axially of saidhollow neck and projecting beyond the container, said stem having alongitudinal passage in the projecting portion communicating with alateral passage normally disposed outside of the housing and a sealingportion within the housing cooperating with the closure to seal thehousing, and resilient means disposed exteriorly of the housing and inthe hollow neck and urging the sealing portion of the stem into sealingrelation with the closure, said stem having an enclosing sleeve carriedby the stem and enclosing said resilient means, said sleeve beingslidable in the hollow neck, movement of said stem against the urgingmeans a predetermined distance from normal sealing position causing saidsealing portion to be moved out of sealing relation with the plug andsaid lateral passage to be moved into communication with the housing,said stem having a lower portion sliding in and cooperating with theaperture in the plastic wall to guide the inner end of said stem andpermit flow of material from the container into the housing and becomeoperative by inward movement of said valve stem to close the apertureand seal the housing from the container prior to the movement of thelateral passage into communication with the housing, thereby dispensingonly the fluid in the valve housing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,062,576 5/13Baskett et a1 222453 X 2,729,3 67 1/56 Samuels 222-5 42 X 2,781,954 2/57Bretz. 2, 83 0,745 4/ 5 8 Bartoll Aicart. 2,856,103 10/58 Ward.2,858,053 10/58 Waldherr. 2,973,123 2/ 61 Rousset. 2,974,753 3/61Meshberg. 3,052,382 9/62 Gawthrop 222335 3,054,536 9/62 Sagarin 239337 X3,130,880 4/64 Briechle 222394 FOREIGN PATENTS 511,501 10/30 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES Jarvis (German application), 1,012,567, printed July18, 1957.

Waldherr (German application), 1,033,147, printed June 26, 1958.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

5. AN AEROSOL VALVE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A CONTAINER TO EXTEND OVERA MOUTH THEREOF TO DISPENSE AEROSOL MATERIAL THEREFROM, SAID VALVEHAVING A MEASURING CHAMBER THEREIN COMPRISING A PLASTIC VALVE HOUSINGHAVING AN APERTURED INNER WALL, A PLASTIC VALVE STEM MOUNTED ON THEHOUSING AND CONTROLLING DISCHARGE OF MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER INMEASURED AMOUNTS AND HAVING A PORTION SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID APERTUREIN SAID INNER WALL, AND MEANS FOR URGING SAID VALVE STEM TO A NORMALNON-DISPENSING POSITION, SAID STEM AND APERTURED WALL HAVING COOPERATINGRIB MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED RIBS ENGAGING AND GUIDING SAIDSTEM IN NONDISPENSING POSITION AND PROVIDING INLET PORTS FOR PASSAGE OFTHE MATERIAL FROM THE CONTAINER TO SAID HOUSING, SAID STEM WHEN MOVED TODISPENSING POSITION HAVING A PORTION CLOSING SAID APERTURE AND SAIDINLET PORTS.